Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PLANT PATHOLOGY
Volume 136, Issue 1, Pages 41-49Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10658-012-0129-8
Keywords
Haustoria; Malus domestica Borkh.; Marssonina coronaria; Leaf blotch; Subcuticular hyphal strands (SHS)
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Funding
- National Natural Science Funds of China [31071650]
- 111 project from the Education Ministry of China [B07049]
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Diplocarpon mali, the causal agent of Marssonina leaf blotch of apple, causes severe defoliation during the growing season. Little information is available on the mode of infection and the infection process. In this study, the infection strategies of D. mali in apple leaves were investigated using fluorescence and electron microscopy. Conidia attached to leaf surface apparently by mucilage and germinated on both sides of leaves 6 h post-inoculation (hpi). The pathogen penetrated the cuticle by infection pegs formed either in germ tubes or appressoria in 6 hpi, and then formed haustoria in host epidermal and mesophyll cells accompanied by extension of subcuticular and intercellular hyphae. Five days post-inoculation (dpi), the intracellular hyphae were observed. At the same time, the subcuticular hyphal strands (SHS) were produced as a means for fast expansion and reproduction. About 7 dpi, acervuli formed on inoculated leaves. This was the first observation that D. mali formed haustoria and SHS as infection strategies. Our results suggest that D. mali may behave like a hemibiotroph, which can use both biotrophic and necrotrophic strategies to establish infections on apple leaves.
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